All references cited in this specification, and their references, are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for teachings of additional or alternative details, features, and/or technical background.
Disclosed is a toilet armrest support system comprising an unobtrusive or stealthy docking sub-system having receptacles or ports configured to receive a removable platform with detachable armrests that can be quickly mounted on and off any standard toilet. The apparatus can be used as a toilet assist device or as an enhancement for toilet comfort.
A conventional toilet system 10, such as shown in FIG. 1, does not normally come with armrests. FIG. 1 shows a toilet bowl 20, toilet rim 25 of the bowl 20, toilet seat 30 and the seat cover 35. Both the toilet seat 30 and the seat cover 35 are configured to open and close with a pair of common hinges 37, which are secured to the back of the toilet rim 25 with bolts and wing-nuts (not shown). A water tank 40 is also usually secured to the rear of the toilet system 10 by means of bolts that are accessible inside the tank after the lid 45 is removed. As these general features of a conventional toilet system are well-known in the art, they are not described in detail here in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure.
Toilet assemblies with armrests are known for primarily medical uses. For example, for handicapped people who have difficulties in getting on and off toilets, there are raised toilet seats. Some come equipped with arm rests, such as shown in FIG. 2. The toilet assembly 50 shown in FIG. 2 is usually an independent structure with raised seat 55, armrests 60 and legs 70 which can be placed on a conventional toilet system 10 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the raised seat 55 is placed over (or clears) the rim 25 of the toilet bowl 20 of a conventional toilet system 10 while the toilet seat 30 and the seat cover 35 are held open against the water tank 45. The legs 60 and the armrests 60 may be adjusted to accommodate the ergonomic needs of the user of the toilet.
Still with other conventional toilet assists that are described in the references below, the armrests need to be attached to the existing toilet in quite a number of different ways, with quite a number of different tools and they all require quite an extensive assembly time. Usually, the people who most need assistance in toilet functions do not have the stamina or the ability to put together such complex apparatus. At the same time, from a sanitary point of view, it is difficult get around some of the structures, such as the seat area, the legs and the armrest, for that matter, to keep the toilet area clean. If one were to try to move or remove the assist portions and put them back together again, it would be quite difficult for the reasons given above.
What is needed therefore is an apparatus that can easily be mounted and dismounted on a toilet rim with no additional fasteners other than provided with standard toilets while keeping the existing toilet seat and seat cover and at the same time providing ergonomically comfortable armrests to assist in performing bodily functions.